Tibetan Buddhist Monk will Visit on April 10

TIBETAN BUDDHIST MONK WILL VISIT MADISONVILLE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Madisonville Community College (MCC) is pleased to announce that Tsering Phuntsok will be visiting the college on Wednesday, April 10, 2013. Invited by Tulane University and Hopkinsville Community College to the United States, Tsering has traveled far from his home in Dharamsala, India, to share his message of compassion according to the teachings of Buddha. He will visit classes and have a presentation open to the community as well as MCC students and employees at 12:15 p.m. in the Multipurpose Room on the first floor of the John H. Gray building (North Campus, 2000 College Drive, Madisonville).

Since entering the Palyul Choekhorling Nyingmapa monastery in Bir, India, in 1987 at age 16, Tsering Phuntsok has been a practicing Buddhist monk. For the first 17 years he studied and practiced in the Nyingmapa tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, receiving training in meditation, Buddhist scripture and philosophy, tantric ritual, lama dancing and music. For several years he trained young monks in ritual and academic subjects. He has received many tantric empowerments and sutra teachings from His Holiness the Dalai Lama and many other High Lamas, including H.H. Penor Rinpoche. In the last several years he has worked on health related projects for his monastery as well as overseeing his nieces and nephews.

Tsering makes his residence in Dharamsala, India in the foothills of the Himalayas; his home is less than a minute walk from the Temple and residence of the H. H. Dalai Lama. Currently he facilitates cultural exchange programs between the Tibetan community and US university students who come to Dharamsala to volunteer with LHA, a local social work agency devoted to improving the lives of Tibetan refugees and local Indians. These groups also learn about Buddhism through visits to Tibetan monasteries. A soft-spoken man, with a quiet and engaging energy and humor, his goal is to practice and explain Buddhist dharma in a way that will help to alleviate suffering and speak to each hearer in a way suited to his or her own level of development.

MCC is pleased to present to the community this opportunity to learn about a diverse culture of the world. Mark your calendars for Wednesday, April 10, 2013, at 12:15 p.m. and join us for an interesting and informative visit with Tsering.

For more information, contact Dianne Jernigan at dianne.jernigan@kctcs.edu.